Jedi Knight:Vengeance Of the Sith
by MaDMageMerlin
Summary: the Jedi must fight the rise of another sith lord, who seeks an ancient Weapon...Edit:Was originally in Star Wars section.
1. Prologue

A/N: I hate the new jedi order books.mostly because I think they've ruined everything that George Lucas created. While I may use some of the characters introduced in the new jedi order timeline.It will be of my accord. Also, those of you haven't played Jedi Knight/Outcast/Dark Forces or Knights of the Old Republic might not get some of the characters and references.  
  
Prologue  
  
Zeno Tirn opened his eyes, letting in the view of his familiar surroundings. He was in his old room on Yavin 4, at the Jedi Academy. The brown haired man put his hand on his head, trying to dim the pain he felt. Zeno shut his eyes, in a vain attempt to clear the pain, but that only made it worse. He recalled why he was feeling this accursed sensation.  
  
Zeno sat in the co-pilots chair of his former master's ship. Though Zeno had been deemed a fully trained Jedi Knight over a year ago, he had been paired up with Master Sav, at least for this mission. Sav's new apprentice, Lorom Astirne, walked into the cockpit, and took a seat behind Master Sav. Lorom had brown eyes, and a buzz-cut of his normally shaggy dirty-blonde hair.  
"Zeno, will you take the controls? Lorom and I need to work on his training for a bit, before we reach the valley." Sav said. Sav was a Twi'lek, with black eyes, so he didn't have to worry about hair cuts.  
"Sure thing Master Sav." Zeno said, swiveling his chair to take the helm. "So we'll be there in about an hour, so I'll let you know when we arrive." He said. Sav smiled, and he and Lorom stepped out of the cockpit, the door closing with a hiss.  
About an hour later, they landed down at the valley they were investigating. There had been reports of imperial activity on Sulon, plus the newly formed Jedi-council had felt a disturbance in the force. So the council had sent Zeno, Master Sav and his apprentice on an investigative mission to Sulon.  
"All ready?" Zeno said, putting on his coat. The coat extended all the way down to just above his feet. He attached his lightsaber to his belt.  
"Of course. After you, my friend." Sav said. The three jedi walked into the mouth of the valley. As they took their first steps into the valley, Zeno suddenly stopped.  
"What is it?" Sav asked. Zeno shook his head, then looked at Sav. "Don't you feel that?" Zeno said. It was Sav who was shaking his head now. "No I don't feel anything. I have no idea what you're talking about." But as Sav said this, figures appeared before the jedi. Shadow troopers appeared, igniting their ruby blades. Almost instantly, the jedi reacted. Zeno's dark blue blade was the distinctive against Sav and Lorom's yellow. 


	2. The Council, and some Saber Training

Thank you to my reviewer  
  
Chapter 1:The council, and some saber Training  
  
Zeno's thoughts were shaken by the alert beep of his comlink. He used the force to pull the comlink from his table to his hand.  
"Zeno Tirn." The steel-gray eyed man answered.  
"Zeno, this is Master Skywalker. We would like to speak with you." Came Luke Skywalker's voice through the small cylinder. Zeno sighed, and stood up.  
"Yes, of course." Zeno knew that 'we' meant the council, so he decided that since he was going to speak with them anyway, he might as well be on his way.  
Zeno walked through the hallways of the Massassi Temple. This place had been through so much. Constructed by the geneticly engineered Massassi, who were created by the rouge Sith Naga Sadow. Eventually, taken by the Sith Lord Exar Kun. Then, nearly 4,000 years later, the Rebel Alliance took the temple as its base. Now, it was a School for the Jedi, the enemies of the very creators. Zeno stopped at the door that led to the Council chamber. He drew in a long breath. The door opened in front of him, and as he took a few steps in, he felt a sense of urgency.  
There before Zeno, sat the Jedi council, Consisting of seven members. The head of the Council was Luke Skywalker. To his right, sat Kyp Durron, seemly beyond his brash and impulsive years. To Luke's left, sat Kyle Katarn, the former Rebel agent. Next to Kyle sat Lobacca, the newphew of Chewbacca. Next to Kyp sat Krebor, a Mon Calamari. Then there was Nunik, a female Tusken from Tatooine. Finally, Aliwa Astirne, Lorom's aunt.  
"Hello, Zeno Tirn." Luke said. "It has been a while since we last spoke." Luke said with a smile. The sandy-haired boy from the sand planet had seemly lost none of his youthful energy, and though he was starting to age, his body was still young. "But I suppose we must waste no time in idle chat. Tell us your story."  
So Zeno told them his tale, and as he finished, the council seemed to nod in understanding.  
"And then, I was gravely injured, and I barley made it back to the ship, and activated a distress beacon. Sav, and Lorom were killed." Zeno said, ending his recount of the events on Sulon. Aliwa cast her eyes down to the ground for a moment, and then looked back at Zeno.  
"Zeno, you may leave. We must discuss this issue further. Thank you for your presence." Aliwa said. Zeno bowed, and then left the room.  
  
Zeno opened the door of his room, to see Kyle Katarn standing in front of him. Zeno had been sleeping, and Kyle had been sent to talk to him.  
"Zeno, the council has decided to send me on a mission to investigate further. We would also like for you to accompany me, along with at least two other people, preferable none Jedi." Kyle said. Zeno gave a "humph".  
"Alright, but I get to choose who's coming." Zeno said. Kyle nodded.  
"Wouldn't have it any other way." Kyle said with a smile. Zeno gathered his things, and they set off. Soon they came to one of the saber training arenas. There was a young human standing, with his white blade lit. On the Opposite side, was a green, multi-tendril alien standing; in a much more relaxed pose. The alien had a yellow bladed saber, which he held in one hand.  
"Watch this. The aliens name is Dur Fisto. He and I grew up and trained together here at the academy. He's an amazing swordsman." Zeno said. Just then the human ran at Dur, raising his saber over his head. Dur only cocked his head down a little, and while the man swung his saber down, Dur stepped back, and with his blade parried the white blade so that he also put the man off balance. However, Dur did not take this opportunity, and let the man regain his balance. The man tried to attack Dur's feet, but Dur jumped into a back flip, kicking the man in the face. Then Dur thrusted his saber into the man. It was obvious now that the sabers were set for low "training" settings. The Instructer, who was standing off to the side, with the aide of the force, jumped up to the 8-foot high ring. "Very good. This teaches you that the direct, and seemingly strongest approach is not always the strongest. See how easily Dur defeated Fresd?" the instructor said. After a while of watching the teacher talk to the students, Dur walked over to where Zeno and Kyle were standing. "Greetings Zeno. It has been a longtime. How are you?" Dur asked. Zeno smiled said he was fine. Dur looked over at Kyle. "Hello, I do not think we have met before Kyle Katarn. It is a great honor." Dur said. Kyle nodded, and offered his hand. Dur shook it, and they all smiled. Zeno knew that Dur knew of Kyle, every Jedi did. How he defeated the Dark Jedi Jerec, and saved the Valley of the Jedi. And how he stopped the army of Shadow Troopers, and saved the Jedi Academy. It was almost impossible for a Jedi now, not to know who Kyle Katarn was. "Well, I think we should explain to him why we are here, don't you think?" Kyle said. Zeno nodded, slowly drawing in a breath. Zeno opened his lips, as if say something, but stopped, then started. "You know I have just returned from Sulon, correct?" Zeno said, somewhat cautiously. Dur smiled, and nodded. "Of course! There are rumors flying like a mynock to a ship!" Dur said. Zeno lost the smile he had when he entered this conversation, as did Kyle. "Well I don't know what rumors, but we need to go back to Sulon. And I want you to come with me." Zeno said. At this, Dur's smile faded, but only slightly. He had a look of question on his face. Zeno knew what he was about to ask. "Do not worry, we just need to investigate. Master Katarn and I are going, and I would like for you to come." Zeno said, somewhat with a slight wry tone to his voice. "Well, I can't turn down a friend." Dur said. "I guess I shall accompany you, on whatever mission you will go on." 


	3. Transportation

Chapter 2: Transportation  
  
Zeno, Kyle, and Dur walked into the hanger of the Jedi Temple. Kyle had said that they would need a ship that was preferably non-Jedi or New Republic. So Zeno put in a call to one of his old friends that he had made when he was still an apprentice. As they walked through the hanger, with all of the different assortments of crafts, they stopped in front of an YT 3500 Corellian cruiser. The design was very similar to that of the YT 2400, except the frame was larger. There was man standing in front of it, cleaning the gears. He was a fairly tall, well well built man, with a dark brown hair, and he was wearing a leather jacket.  
  
"Travik! Travik, man it's been way too long." Zeno said. The man turned around, revealing a clean-shaven face, though not so clean from working on his ship, and piercing blue eyes.  
  
"Zeno! Damn, it has been way too long. Look at you! A full-fledged Jedi! And I though you were having delusions of grandeur." Travik said. Both men smiled, and gave a friendly hug. Zeno turned to Kyle and Dur.  
"Travik, this is Kyle Katarn, Jedi master, and member of the Jedi council. And this is Dur Fisto, fellow Jedi knight." Zeno gave the introductions as Travik shook their hands.  
"I believe I met Travik a while back." Dur said. "Yes, we were on a training mission, and we met him. That's right." Dur finished, looking with his alien black eyes. Zeno rubbed his chin, trying to remember.  
"Oh yeah." Travik and Zeno said together. They all laughed. As the men talked, a slender, seemingly delicate woman walked down the open ramp of the ship.  
"Travik, what are you doing?" She said, in an irritated tone. Travik turned, and then shook his head. "Well, jeez, I'm just talking to some old friends! And plus, why do you thing we're here?" Travik said. He turned back to the Jedi, and smiled. "Well gentlemen, let me introduce you to my," he paused and turned around, and the women, came around, revealing her beautiful face, and also piercing blue eyes. " Sister, Leye" Travik finished. Zeno, raised his eyebrow, and Kyle and Dur simply stood there. "Hiya fella's." Leye said, extending her hand. Zeno grabbed it, and as they shook hands, Leye smiled. Then she firmly retracted her hand back. "So, what is it you needed us to do, I mean, surely you could have used one of these many ships." Leye said. Travik nodded. "Yeah, I suppose we could, but we need to be kind of secret, and using a ship that belongs to the Jedi isn't that secret." Zeno said. Leye and Travik nodded, and both agreed. "Well, if you wanted a good ship, and some good pilots, then you've definitely come to the right people." Travik said. Zeno laughed. "And this here, is the right ship." Travik continued, gesturing towards his ship. "The Twin's Gambit is her name." Travik said. "And she's definitely the best ship in this hanger." Travik said with a laugh. Zeno nodded with a smug grin. "Well I suppose we better get going. We'll explain the mission on the way." Kyle said, ending the conversation.  
  
-Meanwhile, in orbit above Sulon-  
  
Admiral Konig stepped out of the Turbo lift, the door hissing shut behind him. Konig was a hardy veteran of many of the battles during the Galactic civil war. His Star Destroyer, Valiant I, had been in service since before the Death Star had been constructed, back when Konig was just a captain. As Konig strode onto his bridge, he noticed three things. The first was that his crew was relaxed, and they were at ease when He was present. Konig smiled at that thought. The second thing he noticed, that ever since the fall of the empire, those who served under him, not just on his ship, but in his fleet, worked harder and more efficiently then they had when then Empire was in power. Konig reasoned that because instead of just following orders, and doing what they were told, they now had a reason to fight. They had to restore the glory of the Empire, and destroy the Rebel scum. The other thing Konig noticed, was that even though he was on the bridge, they seemed unusually tense. Konig's first officer, Captain Pelgo, saluted him. Pelgo was a young, newly appointed Captain, brash and eager, always ready to please. Pelgo was certainly not the greatest looking man either; Konig's crew often compared him to a womprat. "Admiral, sir, there is a message from Warlord Baaz." Pelgo said, without flinching. Konig could hear the nervousness in his voice though. "Very well, I will take it in my quarters." Konig said. Konig walked around the bridge, into the hallway that leads to his quarters. When he got there, as he activated the holotransmitter, Warlord Baaz did not look pleased. There was also another figure standing beside Baaz. "Admiral Konig, you know I do not appreciate being made to wait." Baaz said angrily. Konig shuddered in his mind, though made no outward expression of fear. "Yes Warlord, I know, and I apologize. What is it you require of me?" Konig said. The Warlord smiled, and gestured towards the man to his right. The man wore a cloak with a hood, so he could not see the man's face. "This is Lord Rackeel, Dark Lord of the sith. He is currently overseeing the training process of our Shadow troopers. We need you to pack up and leave. Head to this coordinates. I will transmit them now." Baaz said, reaching down to activate his consol. Konig looked at his computer screen, and saw the coordinates. Konig raised his eyebrow. "Sir, this is Korriban. What do we need there?" Konig asked, with great curiosity. Both the Warlord, and Lord Rackeel smiled. The Warlord stood up before he spoke. "You do not yet need to know that information, all I can tell you at this point, is that you need to arrive there, within five standard days." Baaz said. "Very well, I will you see you then, Admiral Konig. Do not fail us." With that, the hologram faded, and Konig was left with a chilling sensation. 


	4. Entering the Valley

Chapter 3: Entering the Valley  
  
Luke Skywalker sat in his room in the Jedi Temple, eyes closed, legs crossed, his hands resting in his lap. He had taken up meditation shortly after he had fought his father, and the Emperor had been defeated.  
  
Luke had come along way since he was farm boy that fateful day when had been saved by Obi-wan. Luke had no idea that those two druids he had bought would change his like so drastically.  
  
Usually Luke had very little time to reflect upon his life, with the Academy to run. He had begun this Academy as the only Jedi Knight, now even though he was no longer the only Jedi Master; he still devoted much of his time to teaching future Jedi.  
  
His wife, Mara Jade, was one of the key instructors in the Academy, along with the council. Luke had tried to make the Jedi like they were in the days before the Empire. When a student was deemed old enough, they became apprentices, chosen by a master.  
  
Luke smiled, as he heard the familiar roar of an YT freighter's engines roar to life, signaling the departure of Master Katarn, and Zeno Tirn. Although, Luke thought, those engines aren't the same as the Falcon's. Luke knew that there was surely going to be something on Sulon, though Luke didn't know what it could be. He did know that it was probably going to be something that would send the New Republic into a frenzy, if not the Jedi at least.  
  
Zeno Tirn walked to the cockpit, where Travik and Leye were. As the door hissed open, Travik glanced back, while Leye simply focused on the controls. There was something about them both, Zeno thought. He could feel a very strong presence of the force in them both, though he could also feel that they were not strong enough to be Jedi. It was as if the force was guiding them to their destiny.  
  
Zeno sighed, as he dismissed his thoughts. He was preoccupied enough as it was. He took a seat the chair behind Leye. Travik swiveled his own chair around to face Zeno.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Travik said as he turned his chair. Zeno smiled smugly, and shook his head.  
  
"A bit better, but I still have a pain in the back of my mind." Zeno said. After the jump to hyperspace, Kyle and Zeno had explained their mission to Travik and Leye, although they left out a few details, including the Shadowtroopers.  
  
"Well, you know how it goes. You win some you lose some." Travik said sarcastically. Zeno let out a small laugh of sarcastic agreement. "And on a different subject entirely, how far are we from Sulon Leye?" Travik asked.  
  
Leye looked up at him. She had a beautiful face, Zeno thought, but somehow very tragic. Leye's blue eyes seemed to bore a hole into Travik. Zeno didn't know why it seemed like they were on edge, but it did.  
  
"Well brother, if you must know, we're about an hour and a half away from our destination. So you can all just enjoy the ride." Leye said with a hint of some distaste in her voice. Zeno frowned, and then stood up.  
  
"Thank you very much, both of you, for agreeing to do this." Zeno said. Travik winked, while Leye simply smiled, and nodded her head.  
  
Kyle Katarn sat in one of the chairs in the "lounging area" as Travik called it. He recalled his life on Sulon. He had been born and raised there by his father. He had led a simple life as a farmer. After his despicable time as an Imperial Soldier, he learned that the imperials had killed has father. So he left the accursed Empire for the Rebellion, becoming one of their top agents.  
  
Kyle sighed, watching Dur meditate, and leaned back in his seat. After the formation of the New Republic, Kyle had found his father's murderer, a Dark Jedi named Jerec. Jerec was searching for a place of great power called the Valley of the Jedi. Fortunately, for the whole Galaxy, Kyle defeated, and killed, Jerec before he could harness that power for evil. Kyle had come closer to the dark side then he ever wanted to, and hoped he would never succumb to the clutches of it.  
  
Kyle watched as Zeno walked through the small corridor. Zeno took a seat beside Dur, and took his Lightsaber off his belt, and set it one the table in front of him. Kyle looked at the small cylinder that was the Lightsaber. The design was different from most Lightsabers. It used black plating instead of silver.  
  
"I see you used the Firebrand design when you made your saber." Kyle said. Zeno looked at the weapon, and then took a deep breath.  
  
"Indeed I did." Zeno replied simply. "I figured if I'm going to be a Jedi, I might as well be unique Jedi!" Zeno joked. He and Kyle laughed, but eventually there was a dead silence.  
  
"You know, historically, the firebrand design has been chosen by Dark Jedi." Kyle said, hoping to shed some light on why Zeno chose that design. Zeno gave some sort of a grunt, and spoke.  
  
"Yeah, always associate a certain type of something with a certain type of something else." Zeno said with a taste of dissatisfaction. Kyle gave a confused look, and before he could say anything, Zeno explained.  
  
"Look. I understand that obviously there is a distinct line between the light and dark side of the force. But just because Dark Jedi have been known to do something in the past, doesn't mean that a Jedi Knight can do it today." Zeno said. Kyle sat back, to let this sink in. Kyle knew in his heart that Zeno was right, and knew that what he said made sense. Because Dark Jedi in the past used that design, only Dark Jedi can use it?  
  
"I agree with Zeno." Dur said, breaking his meditation. "You should not judge others by what type of clothes they where, or what type of devices they use, but by the actions they do." He continued. Kyle laughed.  
  
"I'm not disagreeing with you guys at all. In fact I do agree with you completely. I just wanted to know why Zeno chose that design!" Kyle said enthusiastically. All three Jedi looked at each other for a moment, and then started laughing.  
  
"Well if you put it that way! I guess it's just because I liked the design." Zeno said with a smile. Soon, Travik came around the corner.  
  
"Looks like our ETA is shorter then we thought. We'll be dropping out of hyperspace in five minutes." Travik said, leaning on the ledge of the corridor.  
  
The Twin's Gambit landed at the mouth of the valley, at least, the valley that corresponded with Zeno's coordinates. As Zeno, Kyle, and Dur walked down the ramp of the starship, Zeno turned to Travik.  
  
"I'd like to ask another favor of you my friend." Zeno said. Travik nodded. "If you could go to Barons Hed, the capital city, and ask around for information on this Valley." Zeno said.  
  
"Sure, no problem. When you need us, just call us with this. It's a special comlink that is directly connected to the ship's comm. System." Travik said, with a hint of pride in his voice. "Alright, see you later."  
  
As the Gambit took off, the Jedi looked down at the Valley. Kyle wore his usual tan shirt and brown shoulder guard, while Zeno wore his usual long coat. Dur on the other hand, wore a simple robe; very similar to what Luke Skywalker wore.  
  
"Well, shall we be going?" Kyle said. With that, the three started walking down the Valley. 


	5. Discoveries

A/N: I really would like reviews people. I don't want flames, I would prefer constructive criticism and if you could do that, it would be great.  
  
Chapter 4: Discoveries  
  
Zeno, Kyle, and Dur walked along small path, apparently designed for a single file line of people to walk on. The path was concealed beneath trees that looked as if they could have been specifically planted there. Kyle had examined some old, and relatively recent footprints, and recognized them as the treat on the bottom of imperial trooper's boots.  
  
"Do you think that the Imperials were actually here?" Dur asked. Zeno nodded firmly, while Kyle Continued to look at the trail.  
  
"Yes, I do think they were here, but even the most recent boot marks on the ground here look as if they've been here for a while." Kyle said. "They must have left recently though."  
  
Zeno started to speak then stopped. He started to rub his chin, which, unlike Kyle's, was clean-shaven. Kyle had chosen to wear a beard on his face since before he had even started training as a Jedi. Suddenly, Zeno drew in a large breath.  
  
"Look over there!" Zeno said in a hushed voice, pointing at a small grove of Trees at the bottom of the Valley. Kyle and Dur looked, and though they could tell there was something there, they could not tell what it was.  
  
"What do you see?" Kyle asked. Zeno looked at them with a look of question, then looked back.  
  
"I think its some sort of a door. Though it doesn't look big enough to be a door to any kind of base." Zeno said hurriedly. So, the Jedi went down for a closer look. As they got closer, they could see Zeno was right. There was a small durasteel door, only large enough for a person to get through.  
  
"There must be another door somewhere, where they could get equipment in, or a cargo door, or something of that sort." Dur said. Kyle and Zeno nodded in agreement.  
  
"Shall we let ourselves in?" Kyle said. There was a small terminal, but it looked like it was inactive. Kyle pressed a button. But as soon as the control panel flashed to life, a large grinding noise began.  
  
"What is that?" Zeno said. But as soon as Zeno spoke, all three Jedi leapt away from the door, sensing through the force a danger. The door blew open, and three Destroyer Troopers (A/N Original Creations of mine, think very heavily armed and armored stoormtroopers, except they're droids. Jedi Academy players will recognize them from Vader's Castle.) emerged. Each held a Stouker Concussion Rifle, and each held some sort of a shield.  
  
"Look out!" Dur cried, as the lead trooper took aim. The blast from the weapon knocked down several trees, and Zeno was thrown to the ground. Kyle threw his Lightsaber at the first trooper, but the trooper's shield blocked the blade.  
  
"What the?" Kyle shouted as he pulled his Lightsaber back to him with a tug of the force. "Lightsabers can cut through anything!" He said. Dur ignited his yellow blade, and leaped at the one that stood on the right. As Dur used the force to keep himself levitated higher, he spun his body around, so he landed behind the trooper, and tried to send his saber straight threw the troopers thick armor. However, even the Saber could not go through such thick plating, and stopped short. Dur pulled the blade out, then jumped back on the side of the Valley wall, above the open door, and used it to rebound himself back in front of the troopers.  
  
But Dur's attack was more successful then he knew. The blade had cut the wiring that was powering an invisible energy shield around that trooper, and the shield flashed around the trooper, then dissipated.  
  
"Of course! An energy shield!" Kyle said. So, Kyle held out his hand, and pushed the lead trooper back with the force, and threw his saber again. Because the trooper was off guard, the spinning beam of light went right threw the armor, cutting the wiring. Again, the shield flashed, the dissipated. Kyle once again pulled his saber back to him.  
  
Meanwhile, Dur had already begun his dispatch of the trooper on the right. Dur ran straight for the trooper, and as the trooper fired, Dur seemed to disappear. Then, Dur appeared upside down above the trooper's head, and with a clean swipe, was on the ground, while the trooper's head rolled along the ground in front of it.  
  
Kyle stabbed the trooper right through its chest. As the huge droid fell on its knees, Kyle looked to the other Trooper, but felt the disturbance too late. He was staring a concussion rifle down its barrel. But then, bolts of electricity started to surge through the trooper, and the trooper fell to the ground sparks flying out of its body.  
  
Zeno walked over to the Destroyed Destroyer Trooper with his hand extended.  
  
"Zeno did you do that?" Kyle asked. The droid had short-circuited, and was now falling apart.  
  
"Yeah, it's a little something I figured out. Gentle tugs of the force can short circuit droids. Useful, eh?" Zeno said with a smile. Kyle and Dur laughed. "Well, shall we continue?" Zeno said, gesturing towards the door.  
  
When they had explored a little of the facility, the Jedi had discovered that it was some kind of Droid Manufacturing plant. They made their way to the central processing computer, where every automated aspect was handled. As they searched around a little, Dur activated one of the terminals.  
  
"Whoa. Look at this." Dur said. Kyle and Zeno fell in place next to the alien, and looked at the screen. It was a list of what was being, or had been, manufactured here. It had been mostly the Destroyer Troopers that they had encountered earlier, but a few interesting ones, as well. The other two models were foreign designs that none of the Jedi knew. However, judging by their armaments, they were combat or assassin droids.  
  
The first one looked like a modified design of the old Battle Droid that the federation had used, with most notably thicker armor. The second looked like an eyeball with a thick tail coming out of the back. It was obviously meant to hover above the ground, if not be fully airborne.  
  
"Look!" Zeno said. "That's the insignia of Scallta Industries." The man said in surprise. Scallta Industries were a Droid and technology business that was headquartered on a small planet just outside of Imperial Remnant controlled space.  
  
"This is definitely an interesting piece of information." Kyle said. "Let's search around a bit more, and see what else we can find." The Jedi master finished. Before any of them began to move again, they felt a disturbance in the force. Their hands flew to their sabers, and the Blue of Kyle and Zeno's, and the yellow of Dur's lit the room.  
  
"Ah yes, the fabled Jedi." A high-pitched man's voice said. The Jedi turned their heads to the direction of the voice, and they saw an entire entourage of Shadow Troopers, as well as one lone figure, who wore robes and a hood. "Destroy them." 


	6. Enter Korriban

Chapter 5: Enter Korriban  
  
Admiral Konig was nervous when the Valiant I dropped out of hyperspace. Warlord Baaz had ordered them to go to Korriban, the ancient home world of the Sith. Konig had heard evil rumors about this world. He had been in the presence of Darth Vader, the last true Sith Lord since Palpatine, and it had chilled him to the bone.  
  
"Report!" Konig said. One of the officers stepped below Konig, being that most of the bridge's functionary operations were in a lowered area, and spoke.  
  
"Sir, Warlord Baaz's super Star Destroyer, the Sinister is already in orbit above the planet." The officer said. Konig raised his eyebrow, and looked out the view port. His ship was already close enough, that he could in fact make out the unmistakable silhouette of a super Star Destroyer. "Sir, we're receiving a communication from the Sinister." The Officer said, looking back his tech's terminal.  
  
"Very well, send it through." Konig said without any hint of the total nervousness he was feeling. The Hologram appeared, and Baaz was sitting in his "throne" and Rackeel stood beside him.  
  
"Greetings Admiral Konig." Baaz said coolly. Konig had to restrain his shutter. "I see you arrived earlier then expected. That is good." Konig forced a smile of gratitude, while his men were watching. "Prepare a shuttle, and meet us down at these specified coordinates, which I am transmitting to you now." Baaz said. "And be just as hasty arriving down there as you did here." Baaz added without the smile he had been wearing earlier. The hologram faded away, and Konig breathed a deep sigh of relief.  
  
"Prep a shuttle, and ready a small squad of Stormtroopers. I will be down shortly." Konig said quickly.  
  
As the Shuttle's door opened to reveal the bleak landscape that was Korriban, Konig felt a feeling of suspicion towards Baaz and Rackeel, particularly the latter. Where did this Sith Lord come from? Konig thought. What does he really want? Konig stepped out from under the shuttle, and looked around.  
  
They had landed in a small valley, with crumbling ruins strewn about. On each side of the valley there were two doors, although crumbling rocks closed three of them off. This door was nearest to the mouth of the valley, which narrowed as you went farther along. Standing at the door were Warlord Baaz, as well as Rackeel and a few stormtroopers. Konig motioned for his Stormtroopers to stay by the shuttle.  
  
"Ah, I see you have come with your own protection." Rackeel said, capturing a glance from Baaz. "A wise choice to be sure. This planet is dangerous. There are many, shall we say, hungry, creatures that reside here." The Sith lord said.  
  
"Bah! Let us go inside." Baaz said. "This is the tomb of an ancient and long forgotten Sith lord, named Naga Sadow, or something like that." When Baaz said this, Rackeel contorted his face for a brief moment, but Konig caught it.  
  
Zeno took a small step backwards, holding his lightsaber up. Two of the shadow troopers were in front of him, while a third stood behind him. Taking a deep breath, he felt the force flow through him. Closing his eyes, he saw the trooper behind him advance. When the trooper was almost on top of him, the ones in front of Zeno began to move forward. This signaled Zeno, who opened his eyes again, to duck and spin around, creating a ring of blue light from his saber. The blade cut straight through the shadowtrooper behind Zeno, and the one to Zeno's front right. The remaining one managed to block the blade it time. With incredible haste, Zeno went into a flurry of slashes with his saber that the trooper could not withstand, and was cut in the leg, before Zeno finished with a blade through the chest.  
  
Kyle Blocked one blade, and using the force, pushed the trooper back, giving Kyle the time to back flip over the trooper that was running at Kyle from behind. As he flipped, he brought the saber through the trooper, providing a clean cut. As Kyle landed, the trooper dropped to the ground. As the other trooper ran towards Kyle, he sidestepped, and swept his blade through the trooper, cutting it clean in half.  
  
"There are too many of them!" Dur shouted, blocking a strike at his legs. "We can't hold them off for long." Dur beheaded the trooper, and as he looked to his side, he saw Zeno being pushed against a wall by five Shadow Troopers. Zeno moved with unbelievable speed, blocking blow after blow from the red blades of the false Jedi. But even Dur could feel that Zeno was tiring. Throwing his blade, he cut down one of the troopers. Dodging an attack, he dived forward, and upon landing, started rolling forward, grabbed his lightsaber, and stood beside Zeno.  
  
"Is this it, friend?" Zeno said with a smile. Dur smiled as well, as more shadow troopers lined up to attack. Suddenly, a wave from the forced knocked a group of them down, creating a breach in their line. Zeno and Dur leaped through, landing next to Kyle.  
  
"You didn't think I'd let you die that easily, did you?" Kyle said jokingly. Zeno and Dur smiled, as the shadow troopers wheeled around to face the three Jedi. "Well, it would be a wise move to retreat." Kyle continued, glancing back towards the hallway they had come in. Suddenly, Zeno motioned up towards the ceiling. There was a rather large catwalk that was labeled "Dock". Zeno leapt, using the force, to the catwalk, followed by Dur and Kyle.  
  
"Go on ahead, I'll catch up." Zeno said. As his two friends went down the catwalk, Zeno used his lightsaber to cut the supports of the catwalk, and then cut through the catwalk itself, causing a portion of it to collapse onto the Shadow Troopers. As he ran to catch up to Dur and Kyle, he paused, and looked down at the man who had been there. They looked each other in the eye, and Zeno felt the dark side of the force. Shaking his head, he continued on, as the man turned to leave. 


	7. Departure From Sulon

Chapter 6: Departure from Sulon

As Zeno, Dur, and Kyle ran towards the hanger, they began to notice that many more of the light fixtures were becoming active. As they exited the small hallway into another catwalk, they emerged above the production area.

Seeing many pieces of droids that had yet to be constructed, and some that were completed. Over two-dozen Destroyer Troopers lay inactive, as well as some of the other two droids they had seen schematics for. Kyle stopped, looking down onto the droids.

"We need to do something about these things…" Kyle said. Dur nodded, and Zeno glanced down.

"Should we destroy them?" Zeno suggested. Kyle tiled his head, and took in a sharp breath. Shaking his head, he looked onward towards the hanger.

"No, I think maybe we could send someone from the New Republic to maybe reprogram them to serve the NR Military. It'd be better strategically speaking…" Kyle said, trailing off as the sound of beeps and whistles came. Looking down, the Jedi saw that the eyeball-like droids were activating. Feeling a surge of the Dark Side, Zeno looked to where they had come from. There stood the man, robed in black.

"That was a very admirable performance you all showed." He said, clapping mockingly. "Truly, I wish those Shadow Troopers could be just a little less pathetic compared to you. It would make our plans so much easier." The man said with a smile.

"Who are you?" Kyle shouted. The man let out a high-pitched, although sinister laugh. The Jedi's hands slowly moved towards their Lightsabers, and gave each other a glance.

"My name is Darth Idrajit. I am Sith. That is all you need to know." Idrajit said with a now straight-expression. Suddenly, the eyeball droids flew up, and surrounded the Jedi. With a nod from Kyle, the Lightsabers flashed to life. Laughing, Idrajit Drew his Lightsaber. The design of the handle was curved, a throwback to older days. Igniting the red blade came to life, and the droids began to fire their blasters, which jutted out from their front.

Zeno and Dur did their best to block the blasts, while Kyle walked towards Darth Idrajit. Readying their blades, they faced each other, each with a fierce look of determination on his face. Then, Their blades met with a crash, and with blinding speed, they furiously attacked each other.

Kyle was an accomplished swordsman, and while he had fought against many types of Sword fighting, he had never encountered the style in which Idrajit was trained. The Sith Lord used only one hand, and instead of making direct blows, and using direct blocks, he would parry often, and feint even more. Kyle was fighting a losing battle, for he knew that his stamina could not last against this style of fighting.

"What is wrong Kyle Katarn? I had heard that you were one of the best the Jedi Order had to offer." Idrajit said slyly, as thrust his blade at Kyle. Kyle breathed deep, flipping back, and landed with a grunt. Idrajit smiled, and took another step forward, and swept his blade down towards Kyle. Raising his blade, Kyle locked the red and blue sabers together. Pressing against Idrajit's blade, Kyle pushed the sabers to the side, leaving Idrajit seemingly open to attack. The Sith Lord, however, raised his free hand, and used the force to send a blow directly into Kyle's face, knocking him back.

"You're good, that's for sure." Kyle said. As he stood back up, Kyle wiped the blood that had started dripping from his nose. Raising his blade, Kyle took his ready position again. Idrajit laughed, and raised his blade as well. Zeno and Dur, having just finished taken care of the last of the droids, ran up behind Kyle, sabers at ready.

"I see this fight has become somewhat unfair." Idrajit said. "We shall continue another time, Kyle Katarn." The Sith lord hissed, and pointed his blade at the Jedi Master. "With that, I bid you farewell." With a bright flash, Idrajit vanished, leaving the Jedi perplexed. They shook their heads, and Zeno placed his hand on Kyle's shoulder.

"Master Kyle, are you alright?" Kyle nodded, and then turned around. Extinguishing his blade, Kyle smiled.

"I'd appreciate it if you called me Kyle. I hate those formalities." Kyle said breathing deeply. Zeno and Dur laughed, and they extinguished their sabers as well. "Shall we depart this place?" Kyle said. Zeno and Dur nodded, and they continued along the catwalk. Zeno pulled out his comlink, and hailed Leye and Travik.

After a few seconds of static, Travik's voice burst through. "Please tell me you need pick up, because we are ready to get outta' here!" Travik said hurriedly. Zeno raised his eyebrow in surprise, and then sighed.

"Yes, that's exactly why we called you. Come now." Zeno said. "Can you track my comlink's coordinates?" Zeno asked hopefully.

"Yeah, yeah, now just stick to one place, preferable some sort of open area." Travik said. "And please, be ready when we get there."

As the Jedi ran along the catwalk, the encountered many more of the eyeball droids, but they were simply meant to be a hindrance, the Jedi dealt with them easily enough. As they emerged into the hanger, they saw that it had been sabotaged so that no one could enter, or exit, with a ship. They also felt a disturbance in the force, so they kept their hands on their Lightsabers.

They jumped down to the ground level from the catwalk, and noticed that there were many bodies of Droids as well as Stormtroopers lying near by. It was as if the droids had rebelled against their master. There were many Stormtroopers. Though no droids, who had wounds that were clearly inflicted by a lightsaber.

Suddenly, Cargo bay doors opened from the opposite side of where the Jedi were, and an entire battalion of the modified Battle Droids marched through. These battle Droids were equipped with Blasters on both arms, where any sort of a "hand" would have been.

As the sabers once again burned the ozone, The Jedi began to deflect the blasts from the many droids. As the droids continued to fire and approach the Jedi, Zeno knew there was no way they could fight their way out of this unscathed. Zeno shook his head, as he started to cut down the droids that got close to him. Then, he realized that there was a Stouker Concussion Rifle lying free near the catwalk they had emerged from. Zeno deactivated his blade, and used the force to bring the weapon to him.

Sliding his saber into his belt, and then readied the Concussion Rifle. Finding his target, he took aim, and fired. The blast went straight into the center of the Battalion, but Zeno was already aiming towards his next objective. Firing again, he watched as the blast knocked the closed hanger door open. Zeno tossed the weapon away, then nodded to Kyle and Dur.

The Jedi ran, and as they ran they had to dodge hundreds of light bolts coming from the droids behind them. As they neared the Hanger door, the Twin's Gambit descended into view. The ramp lowered, and the Jedi stepped up into the ship. Kyle looked back however, and as he deflected the bolts, he couldn't help but sigh, even as he continued onto the ship.


End file.
